Between conceptual and non-conceptual knowing – Husserl and Patañjali

Authors in the field of phenomenology often make passing glances or occasionally even directly reference certain teachings of the Eastern canon. In ‘The Idea of Phenomenology’ Edmund Husserl says that in his explication of a pure way of knowing based on intuition, we can be »reminded of the speech of the mystics when they describe the intellectual act of seeing that contains no discursive knowledge«. This article delves into some similarities and differences between Husserl’s phenomenological method and the yogic system as presented in The Yoga Sūtra of Patañjali. Continue reading Between conceptual and non-conceptual knowing – Husserl and Patañjali

Heidegger – From Husserl’s prodigious student to fierce critic

Regardless of whether or not we believe that Husserl really uttered the famous sentence “Phenomenology, that’s Heidegger and I – and no one else” (Crowell 2005: 49), it still remains a perfect expression Husserl’s attitude towards his prodigious student. The schism that put an end to this fruitful friendship also gave rise to two different notions regarding the very method of philosophy, a conflict which echoes out even today. Continue reading Heidegger – From Husserl’s prodigious student to fierce critic